Although understanding an Austrian wine label is similar in many ways to reading a German label there are nonetheless some important differences to take into account regarding the terminology used and indeed of Austria's wine classification system itself. As with German wine the most important grape variety in relation to the best quality wines, historically at least, is the noble Riesling variety although it only accounts for less than 4% of the total area under vine. 

It’s happened to us all – we sit down for a glass of wine with someone we didn’t realise was an expert and suddenly feel like a six-month-old child holding a Rubik’s Cube. We’re happy to send wine gifts online to friends and family just as we’re happy to order the odd wine case delivery, but when it comes to knowing the apparent ‘proper’ way to drink wine, we freeze up.

Learning how to pair every possible meal combination on the face of the Earth with a specific wine isn’t plausible for most…even our experts at The Cardinal's Cellar can’t go that far! However, this doesn’t mean that anyone with a taste for wine cannot learn a few simple rules for making suitable wine pairings every time. So if you’d like to take a more educated approach next time you buy red wine with a particular meal in mind, take a look at the following tips and we guarantee you will not go wrong:

As far as red wines go, there are few that have as many deeply obsessive fans and followers as Pinot Noir. We’re happy to admit that we’re a well-established member of this deeply devoted group and just love inviting newcomers along for the ride. Like many things in life, it’s impossible to enjoy Pinot Noir to its fullest until you truly understand its standout qualities. The world is full of generic wines thrown together for the lowest possible price and with no sense of tradition to speak of - Pinot Noir is an example to the absolute contrary.

The Great British spring – a time that evokes blissful daydreams of wonderful greenery, new life across the land and some of the most delightful food of the whole year. There’s no better time to make the most of those fresh and delicious vegetables we know we should be eating more of anyway – spring really is a time of plenty for anyone interested in doing their health a favour.

As a newcomer, the world of wine treads a very fine line between the exciting and the downright intimidating. You know you like the odd bottle of wine from the local supermarket and you’re starting to develop a taste for quality – traversing the divide into full-blown wine-buff territory is however another story altogether.

The fact that good quality wine is no longer a rare and expensive commodity is quite frankly a wonderful thing. No longer are everyday wine fans limited to the bargain-basement lines on the supermarket shelves that have clearly been thrown together with nothing but profit margins in mind. Thanks largely to the growth of online wine retailers in the UK access to quality wines has never been greater.

German wine labels are the most detailed and specific of all the wine producing countries, not only do the better wines display information regarding the geographic region of origin as well as the producer and alcohol content but the German system of wine classification also provides information on the ripeness of the grapes. In fact the ripeness of the harvested wine grapes is actually a fundamental part of that system at the top level and describes the type of wine contained in the bottle. 

Portuguese wine labels are probably the least readily understood in Western Europe due in part to the low number of non-Portuguese who speak the language, in the UK at least. While many wine drinkers have a smattering of French from school, Spanish from holidays abroad and Italian from a mixture of holidays and cultural interests Portuguese is usually seen as being both difficult and a little too different. Historically Portugal's contribution to the international wine trade was restricted to supplying the world with Port, Madeira and cork for bottle closures.

Reading any Spanish wine label requires, as with those of any "old world" wine producing country, the successful navigation of legally required and/or informative text regarding the quality of the bottle's contents, usually in the native language, and distinguishing these from some perhaps rather more romantic or fanciful notions which are written more with the purpose of enticing the potential drinker than to inform. Very often these labels will appeal to a sense of history and tradition, not in itself an ignoble aim but which can perhaps serve to cloud judgement nevertheless.

Understanding the terms used on Italian wine labels can be somewhat intimidating for those who are neither in the wine trade nor serious "cognoscenti" of Italian wines. The Cardinal's Cellar has written this guide to the most commonly used terminology in order that its customers can use this knowledge to be able to order a bottle of Italian wine with more confidence whether from our website, in a wine shop or whilst dining in an Italian restaurant at home or on holiday in Italy.

Reading and decoding wine labels can present problems for any but the most dedicated English speaking vinophiles especially when it comes to bottles of French wine. Much can be learned from the label on a bottle of wine and in order to de-mystify the most commonly used terminology The Cardinal's Cellar has compiled the following glossary in order to explain the most common terms that you are likely to see on French wine bottles. 

The question of chilling and serving wine is often thought to be a straightforward case of serving white wines chilled and red wines at room temperature. This rule, however, provides only the very roughest of guidelines and in order to gain maximum enjoyment from your wines a much more nuanced approach is necessary, one that takes into account the style and body of the wine as well as its colour. 

“Wine is sunlight, held together by water!"
Galileo Gallilei

As the long winter nights draw in, what could be more comforting than sitting by an open log fire as you take your time to savour a glass of heartwarming red? These days, good wine is becoming increasingly accessible with online merchants such as The Cardinal’s Cellar offering a wide variety of fine wines from around the world.

Thinking about having a party, why not indulge in a novelty bottle of Pol Roger? The following bottle sizes of Pol Roger are now available to order. Please note that there can be up to a maximum eight weeks delivery time for bottles larger than a magnum so please order well in advance to ensure delivery on time.

Our scores have been calculated by taking the average of five different vintage charts in an attempt to offer a general consensus of each vintage’s merits. As a word of caution, vintage charts are a general guide and should only be used as such. There can, for example, be a very large variation between neighbouring vineyards a mere hundred yards from each other.

Wine production is said to date back to around 6000BC as archaeologists have been able to identify cultivated grapes from ancient seeds found in the Turkey - Georgia - Armenia region. But records of wine only really start to exist from accounts of life in Ancient Egypt and, later, Ancient Greece. Also references to wine in Chinese history imply they had discovered grape fermentation and there are suggestions that India and Persia were also well-acquainted with the concept.

We provide ratings for all of our wines. Although it’s simpler to give a single score we have decided to give a number of scores from a selection of wine critics to clearly express any difference or solidarity in opinion. Critics include: Robert Parker, Decanter Magazine, Wine Spectator, Cellar Tracker and Jancis Robinson. This also serves as an aid when you have found that a particular critic's opinion tallied with your own in the past.

The subject of decanting wine is often seen to be one of the arcane rituals belonging to the wine connoisseur and the terminally pretentious. Nothing, however, could be further from the truth as it is often young, everyday wines that can benefit the most from being poured from the bottle into a decanter to be served at table.